New Delhi: Government communication in the digital age cannot remain a one-way exercise. Social media should be used not just to inform and engage citizens, but also to listen to their concerns, understand them and respond, President Droupadi Murmu told officer trainees of the Indian Information Service (IIS) on Wednesday.

Addressing IIS and Indian Statistical Service (ISS) officer trainees at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Murmu said both services, though different in their roles, share a common purpose - strengthening governance and serving citizens.

She said effective communication and credible information are essential to a vibrant and responsive democracy. With social media transforming how people receive, share and respond to information, she urged IIS officers to make these platforms a genuine two-way channel between the government and citizens.

The President stressed that accuracy, credibility and public interest must remain central to government communication. The IIS, she said, would have an increasingly important role as India moves towards 2047, helping citizens stay informed and participate meaningfully in development and democratic processes.

She also asked officers to continuously learn and adapt as technology, media, economics and public policy evolve. Curiosity, new skills and learning from experience, she said, must go hand in hand with judicious decision-making, compassion and integrity.

Public authority, Murmu emphasised, comes with the responsibility to serve people with fairness, humility and dedication.

For ISS trainees, the President highlighted the growing importance of reliable data in evidence-based policymaking.

She said accurate, timely and credible statistics are vital for decisions that affect millions, while reminding statisticians that behind every dataset are real people and their lives.

Murmu called for making official statistics more accessible to citizens, researchers and policymakers and said the ISS would have an important role in building a modern, trusted and technology-enabled statistical ecosystem.

Her larger message to the young officers was clear: communicate with credibility, listen with empathy, use data responsibly and keep citizens at the centre of public service.